No. :( Unfortunately we were unable to visit (or find for that matter) the young man this week, and another young man that would have been, had a little fall this week, but we'll do all we can to help them out.
How is he capable of supporting his family? Did he stop going to school and start working? (This is in reference to the young boy of age 14 he talked about in his last letter)
No. He still goes to school, but he works in the morning, and his mom and sister work as well. In Brazil, the minimum wage is less than half that of the united states, so normally both parents are always found in the work field.
How did you like conference?
I liked it a lot. However, after all is said and done, we can see that the work is being accelerated, and we need to buckle down and work harder than ever. Then again, I don't know if I'd like it any other way.
Please tell Drew his first son should have the name Sherlock ;) jk I may miss the wedding, but I'll be there before the first kid.-----
Hello once more!
This week was a really good week because we had the opportunity to hear our beloved prophet and apostles speak world-wide. It's interesting, that when we try talking to people about the magnitude of these events, they don't really recognize or understand it until much later on. It's funny, because one of the members here had the opportunity to know the prophet Gordon B. Hinkley personally, but didn't go because he only had two weeks as a member, thus didn't understand the importance nor the privilege it would have been to meet him. Now, he regrets it. (Just another reason that we should never put things off until tomorrow, because some opportunities are once-in-a-lifetime.)
Anyway, this week was interesting. A week or two ago, we made contact with a woman that showed a lot of interest in hearing our message. As she told us later, she was curious to know more about "the Mormons". The only thing she knew about us was the nickname and the film about "kolipoki." (The Other Side of Heaven) Teaching her, however, is a lot different than most people I've already taught. For one, she's a high-level missionary in the Seventh-Day Adventist church, and has studied the Bible for years, even in Hebrew and Greek. She is trying her hardest to open her mind to other ideas, and although she hasn't yet achieved it, she tries her best to understand others and their motives.
Because of this, teaching her has become a challenge, yet doesn't require much more than that which we've given to any other investigator. Although she is very well instructed, our message is truly unique and we know it is true without the shadow of a doubt. Beyond that, being that it is true, there is nothing in written scripture that contradicts the message nor the gospel of Christ which it manifests. So as a natural result, she often finds herself in inner conflicts between what we've taught her, and the doctrines and one-sided interpretations she's been fed after so many years. But in truth, there is one thing she knows and it is something we know she's been avoiding for quite some time, which is "ask of God." (James 1:5)
She, like many others, is lost in the fight between her invested past and her possible future (what economics would call "sunken cost"). What's worse, is that past was highly built by the endless teachings of "wise men" and "masters of the law." But she, like all the others, needs to ask God if what we said is true, for if not, that anchor of human reason will weigh her down to the point of complete prevention, where she will no longer follow nor hear more. The Savior knew this as he expressed to his disciples when He asked, "What do men say that I am?" After various (and off-mark) responses, he asked "Whom do you say that I am?" Whereas Peter declared him the Son of the living God. Christ's next words then become some of the most important guidance He has given, when He said "Blessed art thou, Simon Barjonas, because flesh and blood hath not shown this unto you, but my Father which is in Heaven."
Whether it be a personal testimony about The Church of Jesus Christ, or the teachings we receive each and every day, we need to trust in that which our Heavenly Father has shown us to be true. It is for that reason that I'm here, and I know without doubt that what is taught and what I've learned is true. Therefore, |I invite all others who have not yet opened their hearts unto God to obtain this same testimony to do so, and I promise it will be given them.
Thank you for everything, and until next time...
Elder Angus
Phrase of the week:
Pai Celestial (paee seh-les-chee-al) Heavenly Father. Now you can pray in Portuguese ;)
Photo:
- My companion and I
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